Yes, it has taken me waaaaay too long to update. Forgive me. But I do hope you enjoy this second chapter and will review despite my delay.

In other words, I'M SOOO SORRY! But here's more of the story so don't be angry and ENJOY~!

Chapter 2: The Decision

Daniel declined my offer even after he had calmed down but I expected as much. My little badger was not the type to except help so openly, much less from someone he often viewed as an enemy, but that didn't stop me from speaking to both Maddie and Jack and suggesting the idea to the two of them. Jack happily and ignorantly agreed to my proposal instantly, as I knew he would, but Maddie hesitated, as I also knew she would.

I had little choice but to confess what Daniel had confided in me to his parents, telling them about the vivid nightmares which had been plaguing his mind while keeping out the somewhat disturbing details. Jack's eyes widened before his expression became shocked and stupid while Maddie's lovely heart shaped face drained of color turning her pale and alarmed.

It was obvious neither of them had any idea what their son was going through, but then again, they haven't for some time now.

Which is why I have to step in.

I'm the only one who could ever understand or truly help Daniel with what he's going through. And although he may want to deny it I know he realizes this. It's only his stubbornness and pride that keep him from admitting it and coming to me for help but this time I'm not giving him a choice.

If he refuses my help then I'll force him to stay with me until this problem is resolved and in the end, like any other stubborn child, he'll be grateful.

I began explaining to Maddie and Jack that Daniel's dreams were simply from the everyday stresses of school work, peer pressure and home life and that it would do him a lot of good to spend a week or two with me at my castle as a sort of mini vacation. I assured them that Daniel would be perfectly safe in my care and that this much needed break would leave him refreshed and back to his normal self.

None of which was a lie by the way. I fully intended to let no harm come to Danny while he was with me and help him overcome his fear, whatever it may be.

Maddie seemed a bit more open to the idea now but still wanted to talk to her son about the matter before sending him anywhere.

I fully agreed, though I was worried at how Daniel would respond once he found out I had told his parents about the nightmares against his wishes.

And so Maddie called Daniel downstairs and into the kitchen. As soon as the boy stepped foot into the room he froze. Seeing the three of us standing around the kitchen table with solemn faces Daniel turned directly to me and glared venomously something which I, under any other circumstance, would've smirked at. But seeing no response from me Daniel's glare quickly faded and he stepped forward to the table looking as if he were suddenly on trial.

"Danny, sweetie," Maddie spoke gently. "Vlad told us you've been having a lot of bad dreams lately and that they're starting to scare you a little. Is this true?" Her voice was soft and heartbroken and I could tell Daniel was struggling on whether or not to tell her the truth.

But after a long moment his resolve crumbled and he let out a deep sigh. "Well, yeah, I've had a few nightmares, but it's not-"

"Why didn't you tell us Danny?" Jack interrupted quickly, looking even more nervous now that his son had confirmed my words.

"Because I didn't want to worry you guys." Daniel replied automatically but after seeing his parents' sad, disapproving expressions he continued saying, "I mean, it's really no big deal. People get bad dreams all the time right?" He forced a smile.

I shook my head slowly not bothering to mask my worry. "True, people do tend to get nightmares from time to time." At this interjection all three pairs of eyes fell on me. "But getting nightmares excessively simply isn't the norm by boy." Upon addressing him Daniel's eyes narrowed. "There's also the loss of sleep to consider." I added smoothly.

"I haven't been losing sleep!" Daniel snapped defensively, unknowingly helping my case and hurting his own.

"Actually," Maddie said slowly. "I remember getting a note from one of Danny's teachers' just last week saying that he had been falling asleep in class." Her expression changed from concern to disappointment once again as she shook her head. "Oh Danny, I wish you had just come to your father and I as soon as this started happening."

Daniel's eyes fell to the floor, his shoulders slumped in shame. I had just started opening my mouth to ask Maddie not to be too hard on Daniel, something along the lines of him only wanting to deal with the problem himself as most teenagers would, when Jasmine entered the room, a questioning look set on her face.

"Ummm, I just came in here to get some orange juice." Jasmine explained awkwardly as we all stared at her. "Is something going on?"

I had a feeling young Jasmine already knew something was indeed 'going on'. Like her mother she's very intelligent and was probably listening as best she could to our conversation from the other side of the door before she walked in.

Although I do think Jasmine can be noisy at times, sometimes too much for her own good, I don't believe that was the reason for her eavesdropping. No, I believe the girl is simply overprotective of her little brother and that tends to make her hover over him in various and overbearing ways.

"I'm afraid so Jazzy-pants." Jack answered solemnly, using his nickname for Jasmine for whatever reason. Perhaps to reassure her in his own way, I can never be sure with Jack. "Danny here has been having nightmares" he went on. "And we only found out about it now since Vladdy filled us in."

"Nightmares? !" Jasmine gaped at the unexpected news and rushed forward to Daniel putting her face in his. "Why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares? ! I could've helped!" The girl almost sounded as if she was pleading but Daniel only glared at her.

"Because it was none of your business." Danny replied angrily. Jasmine flinched back at the harsh tone but it was probably for the best. Daniel looked like he needed a little space.

My little badger's face softened a bit then as he saw the hurt look on his sister's face. Turning his head away I heard him whisper, "There's nothing you could do to help anyway." Jasmine looked even more wounded at this but Daniel refused to see it.

The room grew eerily quiet for a moment until the ringing of my cell phone shattered the silence. Muttering one of my own pastry related curses I rejected the call without second thought. Whatever or whoever it was could wait.

"Is something wrong Vlad?" Maddie asked me politely. "Do you have to get going?"

I sighed. "Yes, unfortunately I think I should be leaving soon." I replied, checking my watch for extra emphasis. "But I'd like to get an answer from you and Jack first about letting Daniel stay with me."

"WHAT?" Jasmine looked almost as panicked as Daniel did. "Danny's going to stay with Vlad? !"

"Only for a week or two." I answered calmly. "And only if your parents agree of course." I smiled charmingly at both Fentons.

"W-Wait!" Daniel cried. "Don't I have any say in this? !"

"I don't know Vlad." Maddie replied slowly, ignoring her son for the moment. "Would you have to take him tonight?" She asked wearily, obviously not ready to let her little boy go.

Unfortunately for her though I had to do what was best for Daniel at that moment. And so giving my dear Maddie a sincere look I replied, "Well, I could stop by to get him another time," at this Danny let out a sigh of relief. "However, it may be some time before I'm able to get back to Amity Park." I continued suggestively. "What with the distance and how heavily scheduled I usually am." I glanced up just in time to see Jack and Maddie's worried faces and saw my chance to strike. "Knowing all this I think it would be in Daniel's best interest to just pack up a few of his belongings and come home with me tonight. Don't you agree?"

My question hung in the air shunning the room into silence once more. Not even Jasmine could find a way to argue with my points.

After a long thoughtful pause Maddie nodded. "You're right. That's probably our best option right now." She said softly. "Jack, what do you think?" Maddie asked the oaf standing beside her and I had to resist the urge to scoff at the idea of Jack actually thinking.

"I think it's a great idea." Jack answered, his idiotic smile returning. "Danny will have a great time at Vladdy's! A little break is just the thing he needs to get back on his feet!"

Maddie gave a small unsure smile at her husband's words feeling a little more comfortable with the idea but still nervous. "Well, I guess that settles it then." She decided.

"WHAT? !" Daniel rushed over to his mother's side with large pleading, and slightly scared, blue eyes. "Mom please! You don't have to do this! They're just dreams! I know they're going to stop soon! I just know it!"

"Oh Danny," Maddie sighed with grief. "I know this is all so sudden but I don't know what else to do. You've already been having these bad dreams for so long and you never told us. We never even knew you were suffering." Maddie's voice started to sound choked as she gently stroked her son's hair but seeing Daniel far from comforted (more worried and guilty than before) she continued. "I'm sorry Danny, but you're leaving with Vlad tonight and you're not coming back until he says you're better, until all these night terrors have stopped, and there's no changing my mind."

With that decision made Daniel turned to his father begging for some loophole out of all this. But Jack only shook his head. "Your mother's right son." Jack said firmly before placing both his enormous fatty hands on Daniel's small shoulders and grinning. "Don't look so glum Danny, you'll be in great hands."

Danny just stood there and blinked, his mouth hanging open slightly in disbelief. Then he pushed Jack's hands off of him.

"I'll go pack my things." Daniel's voice was impassive and hollow, his face likewise as he turned and walked out of the room, head hanging low, choppy bangs covering his eyes.

Part of me wanted to follow him. To put my arm around him and tell him everything really was going to be alright. That I would stay beside him and help him through this tough ordeal.

But of course I couldn't. It wasn't what the boy wanted to hear and therefore would've pushed him farther away.

I remember glancing at Jasmine then before following Maddie and Jack out to the living room. Like her brother, she too looked fearful but every time she opened her mouth no words came out and eventually she joined the three of us looking utterly defeated.

XXXX Line Break XXXX

Waiting for Daniel to be ready was unnerving though he didn't take very long. I suppose what made it so unnerving was that the boy really, truly, seemed scared to come with me. Anger and suspicion would've been fine, that's what I would've expected. But not fear. The every fact that Daniel was so terrified to be with me set me on edge and I didn't know whether to be worried or angry at this sudden change.

But as the seconds ticked away my concern for the boy grew all the more. Did he really believe I was going to hurt him once I had him alone or was he simply scared I would find out some sort of secret he was keeping?

My thoughts were interrupted though as Maddie apologized to me about Daniel's odd behavior saying that he was only nervous about being so far away from home. Jack interjected too saying, "Yeah, I don't know what's gotten into him. Boy looked pale as a ghost."

I rolled my eyes at the unintended pun but luckily no one noticed as Daniel trudged down the stairs at that moment with an old backpack slung over his shoulder.

"I'm ready." He stated with little emotion.

Smiling encouragingly at him I arose from my seat as Jasmine and her parents walked over to say their goodbyes. Jasmine hugged her little brother tightly whispering something I couldn't' make out in his ear. When the two released Daniel nodded but didn't say anything.

It was harder to watch when Maddie hugged him. Leaning down she wrapped her arms around Danny but he made no move to return the embrace and when she tried to kiss his forehead he purposely flinched away, recoiling as if her touch might've burned him.

I could see tears forming in her eyes from her son's cold behavior as she let him go unable to say a goodbye.

Jack then placed one large hand on Daniel's shoulder saying once more that he would have a wonderful time with me to which Daniel only responded with a bored glare and a mumbled word.

With the goodbyes finished Daniel and I walked out to the waiting limo I had ready and opening the door for him I let him get in first.

"That was a bit harsh Daniel." Were the first words out of my mouth once the limo started down the road. "There was no reason to treat your mother that way."

Daniel, who was staring out of his window, glared at the passing houses. "Really? Well how would you feel if your parents sent you away because they didn't know how to deal with you?" He replied bitterly.

Unprepared for such a resentful response I didn't answer.

"That's what I thought." Daniel muttered.

"Don't be so dramatic my boy." I replied, waving off the boy's attitude for the moment. "It's not as if they're sending you off to boarding school."

"Right." Danny replied, sarcastic smile on his lips. "They're just sending me off to my arch-enemy's house for two weeks. No big deal."

I frowned. "I'm not going to do anything to you Daniel." I said honestly. "I only want to help you, is that really so hard to believe?"

"Do you want me to be honest?" Daniel mumbled into his hand as he propped up his head on his elbow. "As much as I'd like to spend the next two to six hours talking to you Plasmius, I'm kinda tired, so if it looks like I've fallen asleep while you're talking, it's because I have." Even as Daniel spoke his eyes started to get heavy and, true to his word, by the time we were leaving Amity Park he was fast asleep.

Not wanting the boy to lean on his hand for the next two hours till we reached the airport I silently moved over to where he sat and leaned him back until he was lying against my chest. I grinned a little at the red mark on his cheek but my smile didn't last as Danny stirred in his sleep, brow furrowing as he curled himself against me and shivered.

I rubbed his shoulders soothingly for a few minutes and he seemed to relax but that did little to keep the dreams at bay as he mumbled fearful words and desperate pleads in his sleep.

All the while I kept whispering soft words and holding him close trying to figure out who or what the monster was he kept referring to and how I could stop it from haunting the tormented boy in my arms.

Wow, could this chapter have gone any slower? Sorry this chapter wasn't too action packed but things will pick up in the next chapter, I promise. Just had to get things settled with the parents and all that.

Poor Danny, he feels like his parents just gave up on him and now he's going to be spending some untold amount of time with Vlad. I wonder how that will go…

Please drop a review if you care and if you got any enjoyment from this chapter at all despite its lack of Danny and Vlad interaction. THANK YOU!